Feeling Stuck? Is It Too Late To Change Your Career?

By Perminus Wainaina  

Are you working in your ideal job? Are you qualified in one area but practising in a completely different area?

If you had a chance to go back, would you still follow the same career path?

Unfortunately, we cannot change the past.

Does that mean there’s no hope? If you’re in a job you don’t enjoy, are you stuck in it for the rest of your professional life?

Jane has been wondering how to change her career. While she studied procurement, when she graduated, she got a job as a receptionist and worked there for three years. She then got a job as an administration officer where she has been working for the last two years. While the salary is ‘okay,’. She feels like she wasted precious time and money to study something she’s never practised. 

“I’m 28 now, and I have no experience in procurement. Did I waste money and time studying procurement, or is there a way I can switch from admin to procurement?” asks Jane.

Are you working in the career you studied or are passionate about?

If you are, be thankful. You’re among the lucky few.

If you’re not in your ideal job, or you wish to make the move to another career, I have a few tips for you that will make your transition easier.

1. Develop the required skills

In the job market, nothing stands out as the skills you possess.

So where do you start?

Create a comprehensive list of both the technical and soft skills needed in the new career.

Technical skills are best described as the skills you need to perform at a specific job. For accounting, technical skills can be creating financial statements or budgeting. If you move into public relations, these skills may not be as useful.

Soft skills, on the other hand, are personal attributes, traits, and communication abilities needed to succeed in the job. Creative thinking, time management, and effective communication are examples of soft skills.

When moving to a new career, your primary focus should be on developing technical skills as they will enable you to get the job done. Develop these skills by taking up short practical courses, part-time jobs, online courses, volunteering, YouTube learning, etc.

2. Be willing to sacrifice

When you change careers, you often have to go back a few steps or in some cases, back to square one. You will likely have to sacrifice your salary, time, status, or social life.

For instance, you might have to start in a junior position compared to the previous one, you may even be required to take a pay cut.

Here’s a way to look at it; if you remain in your current profession, you’ll keep the title and the high salary, but you’ll likely be miserable and chances of growth are minimal. If you do move to the new career, you might suffer a pay cut and the title will be taken away.

However, in the new career, you’ll be satisfied, and you’ll have more drive, passion, and energy to work and give your best.

In time, you’ll be back to the high status and top salary. In this case, the end does justify the means.

At the end of the day, changing to your ideal career may not be an easy and quick process. You need to take time and establish a solid foundation that will help you build a successful career.

However, it is worthwhile to go for a career that gives you satisfaction and enables you to grow and achieve your professional and personal goals.

If you are not in your dream job and you are feeling stuck, it is possible to change and move to where you should be. If you’re not sure or you’re seeking clarity on where to start, get advice from a mentor, family and friends, or a career coach.

Perminus Wainaina is the C.E.O and Managing Partner at Corporate Staffing Services, a leading HR consultancy firm based in Westlands. Through personalized career coaching he assists mid-level and senior professionals get solutions to complex and challenging career issues that they are facingClick here for more on career coaching.

8 Comments

  1. Good evening
    Thanks for the encouraging message.
    I also need a career coaching to excel in my profession.
    I did Bachelor of information science and my passion is on Database Management so as to be technically competent. Please advice me on how I can get the course.

  2. It is never too late,to change your career.
    I know of a good friend who left his first job_having worked for the organization for over 10 years. That’s right.Ten years,and was only one step shy from the top seat.

    He left the well paying job and opted for an entry level role elsewhere as a marketing executive ON HALF PAY.

    He now has been persistently volunteering,and taking short online courses for a communications role he has been ogling for the last two years.

    The great take away l got from him; ” Its’ the quality and not the quantity” and ” let personal awareness guide you.”

    “Its’ only the tortoise who knows what is hidden inside its’ shell.Your passion,drive,abilities,skills and personality,let them guide you.” were his parting shot.

    Oh! Would be most ideal to seek an experts’ objective opinion on your decision.

  3. Hello Justus,
    The first step of growth is realizing areas that could use improvement
    You’re on the right track!
    We’ll contact you with more information on our coaching services.

  4. Hello Charles,
    While you can work in various sectors, it can also be tough to find a niche area.
    To advice, we would need some more information. Kindly contact us for a more personalized service.

  5. Excellent career advice. Many a people fall in this category. For instance I did civil engineering at makerere university and graduated in 1997 because I was very good at numbers!!! There was no career guidance and no internet then to access services like these offered by Corporate Staffing Services company. I am not badly off but I am currently not satisfied.
    However, during practice over years and with ICT invention, I started a self searching or identification mission. I have done personality and skills quizzes or tests online and discovered that I would have been better efficient and effective in medicine, human resources management, management accounting, teaching or lecturing etc.
    I have since done online diploma courses in human resources management, operations management, procurement and supply, and certificate courses in budgeting processes, technical audits of engineering infrastructure, gender awareness, ethics, humanitarian affairs, to mention but a few.
    How would I use all this to get to the desired career one is passionate and determined to do for happiness in career?

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